Sometimes
by Angel of Fire SG1
Summary: One final battle may win them more than victory...(S-J)


_**Sometimes**_

****

**Summary:** One final battle may win them more than victory

**Pairings:** S/J

**Season:** 8

**Spoilers:** possible spoilers for Moebius (just speculation), Threads, Affinity, Heroes pt II

**A/N:** I'm so sorry guys I ain't posted ANYTHING for absolutely AGES!! It's exam time soon!! But it's late at night and I'm in this sentimental sappy mood and this just popped into my head lol so ur stuck with it!!

**OoO**

_Sometimes in life we can't get what we aim for, therefore we settle for second best_

_Sometimes in life second best isn't enough_

The rain belted down on the grounds around her. Everything was a big blur. The running feet, the mud spattering up from the ground. She knew she filthy, but it didn't matter. They had to fight to the end. If they won this everything would be set right again, all the travelling would have been for a reason.

Everything would be back to normal.

Lt Colonel Samantha Carter sprinted to the cover of the forest. She felt the heat of a staff blast exploded close to her leg, but ignored it. A searing pain shot through her leg and she faulted, slowing down.

"Carter, hurry up!"

The distant calling of her CO, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, echoed down the hill through the trees. She tried to stand up straight, speed up again, but the pain was unbearable.

"Can't…" she whispered to herself.

She fell forward, hitting the mud at full force. She saw another staff blast hit a tree, if she hadn't fallen it may have hit her in the back. She thanked her lucky stars and reached forward, attempting to pull herself along the ground. So far they weren't doing a very good job of winning the battle.

In fact, quite the opposite.

Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulders, pulling her up and away from the mud hole. She shook her head, clearing it. She shouldn't give up, she was a warrior, she was supposed to be able to run on an injured leg.

"Carter, this is bad," Jack's voice again.

She looked up, her mind still foggy. "Sir…"

Suddenly she felt another spot of pain, on her side. She looked down to see the staff blast that had hit the tree had skimmed her lower back.

"Hurts," she whispered.

The pain was getting unbearable.

"I know," he said. "You just have to get up here."

"Yes, sir," she replied, quietly.

She knew what was happening, and yet she wasn't there. It was as if she were watching what was happening to her from outside. It made the pain lessen. In fact she could almost pretend it didn't exist…

"Carter, don't faint," Jack said.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, for the first time she realised what was happening.

"Sir, I have to get to shelter," she said.

He nodded. "I'm trying to find something."

A few seconds later he pulled her behind a half broken down stone wall. There was gunfire all around them, staff blasts hitting trees everywhere, splinters of wood cracking off the trees and falling to the ground.

Jack pulled the First Aid kit out of his pack and opened it. He pulled out disinfectant and a bandage.

Sam looked at her leg for the first time. She'd taken a full blast in the leg, it was a surprise that it hadn't been severed all together. Jack rolled up her pant leg to her knee and cringed at the site of her mangled leg.

"We need Doc Frasier," he said, without thinking.

A wave of emotion swept over Sam. She choked back tears. This is how Janet had died, trying to save someone. She had saved her, but she'd sacrificed herself in the process.

"NO!" Sam said, pushing him away. "Leave me."

"No," Jack replied, moving to put disinfectant on the wound.

"Jack please go," she said. "You're going to die."

"I'm not gonna die," he said, determinedly.

"No! You'll die, just like Janet died, just like Mom died, just like everyone's died! Everyone ends up DEAD! Everyone else I've ever loved has died," she said.

He paused, staring blankly at the ground, not looking up. She knew what she'd just said. _Everyone else I've ever loved has died_. It was a mistake, she wasn't thinking clearly, but she still knew it was a mistake.

"Stay still," he said, ignoring her last comment and beginning to wipe the bandage around her leg.

She bit her lip. The pain was excruciating.

"Sir…" she said.

"I know," he said, through clenched teeth. He wasn't enjoying causing her this much pain. "I'm sorry, I have to strap it or it'll get worse."

"Jack…"

He looked up, a softer expression in his face now. Through the mud caked on his face, the rain separating the two of them, she could see the worry in his face.

"I'm not leaving," he said.

"I know," she replied.

"We're gonna win this you know, and then it'll all be over…" he said, then he paused. "I quit the Air Force."

Suddenly in perfect control of her thoughts she looked him in the eyes.

"What? Why? Who's going to lead the SGC?" she asked, trying to ignore the pain as he finished pulling the bandage around her leg.

"Me," he said. "Just not as an Air Force, General…."

"Why?"

"You know why," he said. "Let me see your other wound.

He moved around to her side, keeping low, in fear of being spotted by a Jaffa. The battle had moved on from where they were, but they could still hear the gunfire in the background. He removed her jacket and looked at the hole in her t-shirt.

"Crap," he said. "It's worse than I thought…"

"You quit," she said, sounding amazed.

"Yes," he said.

"You…" she was in shock, it was something to distract her from the pain anyway.

A reason to live.

"When?"

"Last week," he said. "My resignation takes effect on Monday…"

_Three days_

If they'd waited three days she would have known before they left. Instead she was here, dying in a losing battle, knowing she could have been with him in three days time.

Things never worked out for the best in her life. At least she'd made a difference in other people's.

Like Pete. What had she done for him? Led him on, made him believe she loved him, and then hurt him beyond belief.

She fought back tears. What good had she ever down? For anyone?

All she'd done is hurt them. Worst of all she'd hurt him.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Jack looked confused.

She winced in pain as he put disinfectant on her wound. "For hurting you."

He didn't reply for a long time. She watched him pretending to be examining her wound closer.

"Jack," she said. "I hurt you when I chose him, I'm sorry."

"Sam this isn't the time," he said, leaving her wound and moving away, looking over the top of the wall to see if there was anyone within site.

"When is the time?" she asked.

"Back at the SGC," he replied.

"We're never gonna talk there. We never do. Everything always happens out here!" she said, raising her voice slightly.

"That's not true," he said.

_"What about you? If things had been different?" Sam cringed, knowing she should've kept her mouth shut._

_She waited for a very long time. Eventually she accepted she may not get a response._

_"I wouldn't be here."_

_She looked up and met his eyes. What was that supposed to mean? He stared back at her, then they both looked away. She should never have asked. But at least now it was clear in her mind that he wasn't going to do anything to keep her…_

She fought back the tears. "You should've said something."

"I tried," he said. "But you didn't hear."

"I did," she replied. "But I wanted to hear it in words…"

"Then why'd you say yes?" he asked.

"Because I wanted a family…I wanted a normal life…" she said.

Still keeping his distance from her he looked directly into her eyes. Sam felt the emotions rise inside of her even more so than they were before. She blinked, wiping a single tear away. She couldn't cry. But it was too much, the emotion, the pain, the knowledge they might not make it.

Every time they had been in this situation there had been something separating them. But now there was nothing. It was only half a metre of ground between him and her.

But neither of them dared to move.

"Hey…" he said, noticing her tears, which were brimming in her eyes. "C'mere…"

Instead of pulling her towards him he moved towards her, putting his arm around her shoulder. She was in too much pain to move. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he lay his head on top of hers.

After a few moments she moved her head and looked around, as if she were listening.

"The gunfire stopped," she said, weakly.

"We have to get u outta here…" Jack said, taking his arm away from around her and beginning to move away.

"Wait," she said, grabbing his arm.

She was planning to open her mouth, ask him a question. Then she realised she didn't know what to ask, she just didn't want the moment to end. She looked into his intense stare and knew what was coming next. He began to lean forward and at that exact moment a large explosion took place in the sky above them.

They both looked upwards, watching the sparkling remainders of Ba'al's fleet go up in sparks.

Jack grinned and looked back at Sam. They heard loud cheering from further away, knowing the other SG teams had also heard and seen the explosion. Signifying the end of the war.

"It's over," Sam said, also managing a smile.

She grabbed Jack and hugged him. Then realised that was extremely painful. But suddenly she didn't care. They'd done it. They'd defeated the Goa'uld. It had involved time travel and a whole bunch of other strange things. But in their final battle they'd come out the victors.

"I love you."

It was whispered so quietly in her ear that she'd barely heard it. She pulled back from the hug and looked him in the eyes. The battle-worn soldier had disappeared, the loving man had reappeared. He had buried himself so many years earlier, when he'd lost his son. Now here he was, only a few inches away from her.

"What?" she asked, still in shock that he'd said it.

"I love you," he said, louder this time, leaning forward and brushing his lips again hers.

She put her arm around his neck and pulled him closer, into a full on kiss. It wasn't a passionate, hungry kiss…more of a caring, loving kiss.

"JACK! SAM!"

Daniel's worried voice carried over the grounds to where they were sitting. They pulled apart. Jack caressed her face for a moment before standing up and waving to Daniel.

"We're over here, Carter's injured," he said.

_Carter_.

It hurt to hear it, but it was habit. He hadn't thought about it before he'd said it.

A rather dishevelled looking Daniel ran over to her. He bent down and smiled.

"It's over," he said.

"I know," she replied.

"You're gonna be OK," he said. "We're not far from the Stargate."

"I know," she said again, looking at Jack. "Help me up."

**OoO**

"Morning sleepyhead."

Sam moved her head to the left to see Jack sitting on the bed next to hers, smiling.

"Morning," she said, smiling back.

"It's official…the SGC is no longer a military operation, in general…we're just out there to make friends," Jack said.

"Really?" Sam said, "Sounds good to me."

"But first, we all have a couple of weeks off…" Jack said. "Actually I was planning on going fishing, and Teal'c didn't really wanna come…so I figured I'd ask you…"

"Yes," she said, smiling even wider. "I'd love to."

Jack grinned happily. "Remind me that if I ever want you to come somewhere, to just keep bugging you for years and you'll eventually agree to it."

"Oh that depends," Sam said.

He sat down on her bed and slipped his hand into hers. After years of waiting everything had finally turned out right…

_Battles can be fought, both on the battlefield and within yourself_

_But__ you can only win them if you fight long and hard enough_

**OoO**

**A/N: _I'm__ gonna be depressed when Stargate ends sniffs Even if it's a good ending and they get together…ok don't even ask its past _****_midnight_****_ and I didn't sleep last night lol! Please review! _**


End file.
